a) The invention relates to a propulsion process for lightweight miniature toy boats with sufficient speed and activity duration as to constitute a novel and interesting toy.
b) Soap and camphor have been known to provide a propelling means for lightweight miniature boats. However, the effect with soap is of extremely short duration (perhaps about three to twenty seconds) and quite slow, and is thus only a subject of fleeting curiosity. Camphor is faster, and shows a much longer activity duration. However, it is a friable solid, and would be difficult for a small child to apply properly to an exact location. More importantly, camphor is highly toxic: (Fatal Dose approximately one gram for a small child: HANDBOOK OF POISING, Lange Medical Publications, 1963). (Exposure Limit: 2 parts per million in air: NIOSH POCKET GUIDE TO CHEMICAL HAZARDS, 1985). Thus camphor would pose a definite health risk in a toy for young children.
The propelling means of my invention can give initial measured speeds of over thirty (30) feet per minute, and sustained activity for up to twenty minutes or more (at declining speeds), using substances of lower toxicity.